People who are anxiously attached, distrustful and jealous of their partners, and suspect infidelity are more likely to use psychological dating violence. Is this also true for cyber dating abuse perpetration (CDAP)? This study investigated the prevalence of and gender differences in self-reported CDAP and whether trust, anticipated partner infidelity, and jealousy serially mediated the association between anxious attachment and CDAP in a sample of Turkish college students. College students ( N = 390) completed the Cyber Dating Violence Inventory, Anxious Attachment subscale of the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale-Short Form, Dyadic Trust Scale, Cognitive Jealousy subscale of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale, Partners’ Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. A total of 67% of the sample used at least one cyber abusive behavior with their partner over the last 6 months. A multiple serial mediation model indicated that greater anxious attachment was related to more dyadic distrust, the anticipation of partner infidelity, and jealousy, and, in turn, to the use of cyber dating abuse. Overall, results show that the prevalence of CDAP is high and that attachment theory offers a promising framework for identifying predictors of CDAP in emerging adults. These findings have implications for research, intervention, and prevention of CDAP by identifying potential risk factors for perpetrating cyber abuse.

Compared to Western literature, little is known about teen dating violence perpetration (DVP) in Turkey. One risk factor of physical teen DVP may lie within teens' witnessing interparental physical violence perpetration and subsequent accepting attitudes toward physical partner violence as a risk factor. Informed by the intergenerational transmission (IGT) of violence theory, we investigated attitudes toward physical partner violence as a likely mechanism that might account for the association between witnessing interparental physical violence perpetration and physical teen DVP. In a sample of 242 Turkish teens, the prevalence of teen DVP was 32.0% for females and 28.4% for males, with no significant gender difference. The results of the moderated mediation analyses confirmed the hypothesized model for men only. IGT of violence theory offers good guidance in understanding the etiology of physical teen DVP. For prevention practices, accepting attitudes toward physical partner violence seems a hurdle that needs to be breached.

Anxiously attached individuals worry about the psychological availability of their partners. Their preoccupation with unmet attachment related needs is likely accompanied by ruminative thoughts, feelings of jealousy, and dating abuse perpetration. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of gender differences in perpetrating psychological and cyber dating abuse and to explore a hypothesized serial path from anxious attachment, through rumination, and cognitive jealousy to psychological and cyber dating abuse perpetration. The sample consisted of 562 (404 women) Turkish emerging adults. The majority of the sample perpetrated at least one psychological (88.9%) and cyber (68.4%) abusive behavior over the last six months, with women perpetrating more psychological and cyber abuse. We tested a serial mediational model for each type of dating abuse, which indicated that anxious attachment was related to more rumination (brooding), cognitive jealousy, and in turn, to psychological and cyber dating abuse perpetration. We discuss the implications of our study for research, theory, and practice.

The current study investigates how associations between internalized heterosexism (IH) and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization differ for lesbian vs. bisexual (LB) women in Denmark, where queer people are relatively well accepted, and Turkey, where discrimination is still very high. The first purpose of the current study is to explore differences in the prevalence of psychological IPV victimization as a function of sexual orientation (LB women) and country (Denmark and Turkey). As the second purpose, we look at the moderating role of sexual orientation and moderated moderating role of country on the association between IH and psychological IPV victimization. A sample of 257 LB women aged 18–71 years (M= 33.23,SD= 11.15) from Denmark and 152 LB women aged 18–52 years (M= 28.88,SD= 7.70) from Turkey participated. The results of chi-square analyses indicate that LB women from Turkey reported significantly higher psychological IPV victimization than LB women from Denmark. Lesbian than bisexual women from both countries reported more hostile withdrawal and dominance/intimidation-related psychological IPV victimization. The results of moderated moderation analyses reveal that lesbian women in Turkey and bisexual women in Denmark with higher IH were more likely to report experiencing denigration acts. Mental health professionals working with queer psychological IPV survivors may benefit from understanding that IH is associated with LB women’s victimization of psychological IPV, which might be further associated with mental health challenges.

Interpersonal acceptance‐rejection theory (IPARTheory) asserts that recollections of parental rejection in childhood tend to result in psychological maladjustment and intimacy problems in later romantic relationships. Informed by IPARTheory, we investigated the association between maternal & paternal rejection, and fear of intimacy by the mediating role of psychological maladjustment in a Turkish sample with 462 mostly young adults. We further explored the moderator role of gender in Model 1 and the moderating roles of both gender and intimate partner rejection in Model 2. Model 1 revealed that adults who had experienced maternal and paternal rejection in childhood tended to be psychologically maladjusted. Consequently, they also tended to have a fear of intimacy, regardless of gender. Model 2 revealed that women who recall having been rejected in childhood by their mothers tended to be psychologically maladjusted and to have a significant fear of intimacy when they also experienced moderate or more than moderate intimate‐partner rejection. However, both women and men who experienced paternal rejection in childhood tended to be psychologically maladjusted and to experience a greater fear of intimacy when they perceived any degree of intimate partner rejection. Implications of the results for theory, research, and practice are discussed.